Gas powered turbines, such as those used in ground base turbine generators, utilize multiple stages including turbine stages and compressors stages. Compressor systems and turbine systems are collectively referred to as rotor systems and include multiple rotating disks referred to as rotor disks.
The rotor systems within a turbine use sealing mechanisms near the gas path rim of each of the rotor disks to prevent secondary air system air from entering the gas path. Typical sealing mechanisms involve a rotating to static hardware seal. The size of the gap between the rotating piece and the static piece directly affects the amount of gasses that cross the gap and affect engine performance.
One type of seal utilized in rotor systems is a knife edged seal utilizing a knife edge protrusion as the rotating piece in the seal arrangement. The knife edge protrusion is connected to the rotor disk by a cover plate. The knife edge protrusion interfaces with a corresponding static component to form a seal and minimize gas leakage between the secondary air systems and the gas path. The cover plates are intentionally made small relative to the rotor disks in order to minimize the centrifugal load imparted to the rotors to which the cover plates are attached.